The Parish Magazine February 2022

HEALTH — 2
Dr Simon Ruffle writes
from page 31
DE-TOX DIETS
Severe de-tox diets promote a very
low calorie diet, odd fluid concoctions,
diuretics and laxatives. Rapid weight
loss is due to lack of any carbohydrates
and fluid loss. Most of these will cause
a rebound weight game as the least
harm. Loss of normal bacteria balance,
dehydration, salts loss and acidosis can
occur and in people with diabetes or
obesity these diets can be fatal.
OXYGEN TENTS
Mainly harmless unless you have
underlying lung disease but when
you measure oxygen levels in normal
people it is 99 or 100% and no amount
of oxygen will increase this.
COLONIC TREATMENTS
Many people use this, still. There is
no evidence that this does anything.
People will feel a bit better if they have
been a bit constipated. Also the bowel
will absorb fluids, so if dehydrated
this will be reversed. However, fluid
overload can occur. Also damage to
the colon can occur and if a patient
has diverticulosis colonic irrigation
can infect them. Patients with
inflammatory bowel disease can have
serious harm caused by ‘lavage.’
SAUNA/STEAM ROOMS
These can make you feel great.
Sweating will clear pores and make
your skin feel and look good. Good
hydration is needed as you can lose a
lot of fluid and patients with heart and
blood pressure conditions need to be
careful.
They also can be good (as can
stream inhalation) to thin thickened
mucus in some lung diseases and
during chest infection.
YOUR WASTE DISPOSAL
Lastly, the body does it for
you. Your lungs are actually the
excretory organ that rids us of most
of our toxins, specifically CO2.
Your gastrointestinal tract, kidneys
and liver process foods, fluids and
chemicals in the body. We then visit
the smallest room in the house to
rid ourselves of all the breakdown
products. As long as we do not overload
these systems they do the de-tox for us
for free.
1https://www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/natural-toxins-in-food
Serezniy, dreamstime.com
Toothache Day!
9 February 2022
Yes, you read that correctly, there is
a special day for toothaches! It’s not
so much the time to have one, but
the time to learn, or refresh your
memory, about toothaches, how to
treat them, and more importantly,
how to prevent them!
Here’s what to start doing on
9 February if you don’t do it already:
— Refocus your efforts on your oral
health and vow to brush and floss
twice a day.
— Set yourself up in advance
for success by stocking up on
toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss.
— Learn how to care for a toothache:
start by rinsing your mouth with
warm saltwater and putting an ice
pack on your cheek to numb the area.
If pain persists for more than two
days, see a dentist.
— Schedule regular dental
appointments. Along with brushing
and flossing daily, regular visits
to your dentist can help prevent
most tooth problems, including
toothaches.
— Schedule cleaning by a hygienist
twice a year and make sure to go,
even with a busy schedule.
—Smile, and the whole world smiles
with you!
Kurhan, dreamstime.com
The Parish Magazine - February 2022 33
the sciences
Love wisdom of
natural things
By Dr Ruth M Bancewicz, church engagement
director, The Faraday Institute for Science
and Religion, Cambridge
A scientist spoke at Dewsbury
Women’s Institute about his research
on polymers, hoping that the women of
this Yorkshire mill town would connect
with his desire to develop new fibres.
Betty, who had worked in a mill
since she was 15, listened as if her
life depended on it. Afterwards she
peppered him with questions. She had
always been interested in how things
work, but had not found anyone to
answer her questions at the mill; she
had been told to get on with her job!
For outsiders, science can seem
to be a closed subject, hemmed in by
intimidating jargon. When McLeish
described science as ‘the love of wisdom
of natural things’, he realised he was
opening a door. He was moved to see
that Betty was not the only person who
shed a tear when her questions were
finally taken seriously, confirming that
her enquiring mind was probing in the
right direction – 50 years too late!
CONTEMPLATIVE
This reminds me that science is a
very natural activity to be involved in.
McLeish is convinced that there is a
future in ‘science therapy’. In his book,
Faith and Wisdom in Science, he asks
the question 'If a reintroduction to the
activity of representing both inner and
outer worlds in paint, music and drama
can help to heal minds, what hope might
there be for a participation in a gentle and
contemplative science in restoring a broken
or misunderstood relationship with the
physical world?'
This inspired me to run science
activities with adults in churches. I
have extracted DNA from strawberries,
organised hands-on exhibits to liven up
lecture or discussion events, and had
groups extracting DNA from their own
cheek cells.
Whenever I lead such activities, I
find that grown-ups are grateful for
the opportunity to have a go at science.
I love helping church-based groups to
reconnect with science and celebrate
what they find. Science is not just for
children and professionals, it is for
everyone to enjoy and explore the world
God made.